I, Reincarnate as the Leader of the Villainous Knight Order - Chapter 156: The Final Closure

Chapter 156: The Final Closure

“Jest will sleep in my tent tonight. He doesn’t deserve to deal with your reeking alcohol breath.”

“Hahaha. Soon, Jest will understand the taste of alcohol. For now, I’ll settle for Justin.”

For an ancient dragon, a few years or even a century must feel like just a moment.

“Yeah, yeah. Look, we’ve reached the tent.”

Jest mentioned he’d stay with Jeanne for a bit longer, so it was just me and Kuro right now. My warning that anyone causing a ruckus would be forcefully thrown into the tent seemed to be working. The others were enjoying themselves in moderation, and no one had returned yet.

Supporting Kuro, I helped him take off his shoes and laid him down in the sleeping bag inside the tent. I’d heard that his clothes and shoes were woven from magic. And sure enough, they dissipated into mist the moment they were removed. Apparently, if separated from their source, they vanish like other magical constructs.

The light from the magical tools outside faintly illuminated Kuro’s relaxed, drunken face. He’d drunk so much that he probably wouldn’t remember any of this tomorrow. I sat down beside his sprawled figure.

“…Hey, could you say Naoki for me just once?”

“Hmm? Naoki? What’s that?”

A name unfamiliar in this world didn’t even register as a name to him. Hearing my former name, spoken in a voice that sounded so much like my father’s, stirred a small longing within me.

“Just think of it as a kind of charm. One last time… could you say, ‘Naoki, you did well’?”

My voice threatened to tremble. Regret struck me immediately after asking.

“Hmm? Not sure I get it, but… Naoki, you did well~! Huh? You’re Justin, right? …Ah, whatever.”

He spoke as he roughly ruffled my hair before tilting his head in confusion.

“It’s just a little charm. Goodnight.”

“Ahh, goodnight.”

Kuro lay back down and quickly began snoring. He was drunk and half-asleep, so he’d probably forget everything by morning. Those were the words my past self, who had always been the responsible eldest son, longed to hear. Before tears could fall, I stepped outside the tent.

“Dad… I did my best, didn’t I?”

Right after regaining the memories of my previous life, I’d wanted to ask my late father that question. But circumstances hadn’t allowed it. Just for a moment, I allowed myself to become Naoki again and reflect on the past. Though I knew it wasn’t him, I savored the echo of Kuro’s voice and words. Gently touching my own head, I smiled.

At last, I felt I had no lingering regrets about my past life as Naoki. Until now, it wasn’t so much that I had no regrets but that I had been resigned. Silently grateful to Kuro, I headed back into town to fetch Jest. He had surely enjoyed himself enough by now.

“Master, is Kuro asleep?”  

The voice cutting through the lively group of still-awake subordinates belonged to Jeanne.

“Yeah, I laid him down in the tent. He’s sleeping soundly.”

“Fufu, in that case, I should return to the inn as well. Jest was full of energy earlier but seemed sleepy before long. He’s over there with Simon.”

Following Jeanne’s gaze, I saw Jest being carried on Simon’s shoulders, rubbing his eyes.

“That idiot! He’s carrying Jest while drunk? If he loses balance and falls, Jest could get hurt!”

“Don’t worry so much. Jest will be fine. I leave him in your hands.”

“Yeah!”

Though I’d had some alcohol myself, I wasn’t visibly drunk like Simon. Striding over with large steps, I approached Jest and swiftly lifted him off Simon’s shoulders from behind.

“Oh, Justin!”

“You’re sleepy now, aren’t you? Let’s head back to the tent. Besides, it’s dangerous to ride on a drunk Simon.”

“Ehehe, but it was fun!”

“Is that so? Well, I’m glad to hear that.”

As I held Jest facing me, I gently patted his back. He clung to my neck, wriggling to find a comfortable position before settling down to sleep. Glancing over Jest’s shoulder at Simon, I noticed his face wasn’t just sobered—it was pale. He likely understood exactly what I was about to say.

We ended up locking eyes silently for a few seconds, but I chose not to say anything. Instead, I informed him that I’d take Jest back to Ernest first, and headed toward the edge of town where the Third Knight Order’s tents were set up. For some reason, Ernest wore an unusually cheerful smile when he saw me carrying Jest. Though it left me slightly puzzled.

I removed Jest’s shoes. They dissolved into mist just like Kuro’s. As I tried to lay him down on the open sleeping bag, his hands clinging to my neck refused to let go. With no other choice, I lay down beside him and continued gently patting his back until his grip loosened and he let go. Just as I began to sit up, I heard approaching footsteps and hushed voices.

“Simon, why do I have to come back this early too?”

“Idiot! I did it for your sake! Did you see the Captain’s face just now? That blank, exasperated expression? If we show up later, he’ll kill us! You were there with me, so you’re equally guilty! The safest thing to do is to sneak into the tent while he’s putting Jest to bed!”

“Huh? The shoulder ride? That wasn’t my doing. By the time I saw it, Simon had already put Jest on his shoulders. Anyway, I’m going back to drink some more!”

“Wha—? Traitor!”

Hearing Arnault’s footsteps fade into the distance, I stepped out of the tent and saw Simon notice me. He turned around with a startled expression.

“Eek! Uh, I mean, I have to get up early tomorrow to train before we depart, so I better get to bed now! Goodnight, Captain!”

With that, Simon bolted off to his tent like the wind. Fine. Tomorrow, I’ll make sure to join him for that *training* he mentioned—bright and early. 

Smirking faintly, I returned to the tent where Jest was peacefully sleeping.